Special from
Zoo Tennis
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For most professional tennis players, commuting to work involves visas and frequent flyer miles, not daily traffic jams, as they globe-trot from tournament to tournament seeking precious ATP and WTA ranking points.
Thanks to the SoCal Pro Series, 19-year-old Learner Tien had a less grueling option as he began his climb to the ATP Top 100. His commute from his Irvine, California home during last year's seven-week stretch of $15,000 tournaments was confined to local venues he knew well.
Learner Tien Won His First Pro Title in His Hometown
© Jon Mulvey/USTA SoCal
"It's obviously ideal when you're able to sleep at home, drive to tournaments and come back at night," said Tien, who was 16 when he competed in the first Series in 2022, and won his first professional title in his hometown in 2023. "I think it's great that there were tournaments so close to where I live, places where I played junior tournaments before when I was young. Playing in familiar places where it's close to home, you know the area, you can drive, you don't have to fly. I think it's great."
